Following the process...

[BowlingTechGirl]

A few things to remember when bowling tournaments....

You must understand that it's going to be a marathon and not a sprint.
Keep each shot in perspective.Concentrate on the shot at hand.
Forget your score and just play. Avoid keeping score in your head.
Think in the present. It's important to train your mind to forget about your last shot.

So many bowlers are caught up in looking at,and worrying about the scores of the others around them.But as a bowler,you need to look at bowling as a competition between yourself and the best way the lanes
need to be played at that very moment.

You are not playing against a score,or other bowlers.You are playing against the lanes,one shot at a time,doing the best way you know how to.

This sport is the total sum of each frame.If you view it this way,you will immerse yourself in the "process". And ignore everything around you.

You need to stay driven and motivated regardless of where you stand in the tournament or leagues.Your commitment needs to be consistent from the first shot to the last.Day to day.Week to week.Year round.

When you stop following the "process", you can open yourself up to a lot of negative thoughts and feelings that will lead to major slumps. An major attitude problems.You start feeling sorry for yourself.It ruins your day,and the day of those around you. Keeping a positive attitude is the key.There is no other way.Any other choice it not beneficial to you.

Focus on the task rather than the outcome. This is probably the most difficult of the "basics" for bowlers to follow. It is natural to think about the result and then the consequences of the result. This thinking will not help get the job done. Whenever these thoughts come to mind, replace them with thoughts of the immediate task at hand.

Breathe. Even the best in the world get tense. That tension can increase a player's tendency to hold his breath in anticipation of a shot.

Remember that you cannot control things. Anyone who plays this game knows that something unexpected happens in nearly every game and round. Move on to the next one.

Play to succeed. Many bowlers will have a tendency to play to avoid mistakes and/or prevent something bad from happening. The bowlers who are successful are those who are confident in their abilities to go out and get the job done, and will be playing to succeed rather than to avert failure.

[bowl1820]

Great info and not just for tournament players! Following the "Process" applies to league bowlers also. Maybe even more so.

[got_a_300]

Great info I take the not paying attention to the scores around
me or even my opponent's score to heart. Last Thursday night
during league one of the bowlers a couple of pairs down from me
had the first 10 in a row and I didn't even know about it until we
were done bowling for the night.

[fortheloveofbowling]

A few things to remember when bowling tournaments....

You must understand that it's going to be a marathon and not a sprint.
Keep each shot in perspective.Concentrate on the shot at hand.
Forget your score and just play. Avoid keeping score in your head.
Think in the present. It's important to train your mind to forget about your last shot.

So many bowlers are caught up in looking at,and worrying about the scores of the others around them.But as a bowler,you need to look at bowling as a competition between yourself and the best way the lanes
need to be played at that very moment.

You are not playing against a score,or other bowlers.You are playing against the lanes,one shot at a time,doing the best way you know how to.

This sport is the total sum of each frame.If you view it this way,you will immerse yourself in the "process". And ignore everything around you.

You need to stay driven and motivated regardless of where you stand in the tournament or leagues.Your commitment needs to be consistent from the first shot to the last.Day to day.Week to week.Year round.

When you stop following the "process", you can open yourself up to a lot of negative thoughts and feelings that will lead to major slumps. An major attitude problems.You start feeling sorry for yourself.It ruins your day,and the day of those around you. Keeping a positive attitude is the key.There is no other way.Any other choice it not beneficial to you.

Focus on the task rather than the outcome. This is probably the most difficult of the "basics" for bowlers to follow. It is natural to think about the result and then the consequences of the result. This thinking will not help get the job done. Whenever these thoughts come to mind, replace them with thoughts of the immediate task at hand.

Breathe. Even the best in the world get tense. That tension can increase a player's tendency to hold his breath in anticipation of a shot.

Remember that you cannot control things. Anyone who plays this game knows that something unexpected happens in nearly every game and round. Move on to the next one.

Play to succeed. Many bowlers will have a tendency to play to avoid mistakes and/or prevent something bad from happening. The bowlers who are successful are those who are confident in their abilities to go out and get the job done, and will be playing to succeed rather than to avert failure.

I would agree with most everything except the looking around at everyone else. When you are bowling in a tournament especially when conditions have not been posted it is very important to realize what the scoring pace is like. If i'm finding the pocket and leaving single pins and throwing a double occasionally i might think i'm behind. Then i look around and see that a lot of people are struggling. And this could work in the opposite as well. Also, i want to see who is scoring and where they are playing and if i'm moving pairs you better believe i will go to the next pair before they finish to see where they are playing. Excellent post though and great thoughts. Thanks!

[dnhoffman]

Best post I've seen in a long time. Thanks for sharing.

[Aslan]

I'd agree...except for the watching other people's scores.

I mean, BTG is absolutely correct...why focus on something you can't control? But at the same time...what if I need to trip them or mess with them or psyche them out or 'accidentally' spill a drink or pop the cap of a water bottle?? I may need to look at their scores to figure out which person to **** with.

[got_a_300]

or pop the cap of a water bottle??

LOL!!! Popping the ol' water bottle trick it always works for Jason Belmonte
especially when he's bowling against Sean Rash.